Summer 2011: Day 2

June 7th, 2011

Happy 73rd Birthday Mom!

Paddle Boy Story Up Date

May 28th, 2011

I just so happened to bump into PJ’s English teacher in the hall yesterday.

We started talking about the sex ed discussion the kids had in class.  When I brought up the fact that PJ shared the Paddle Boy story her response was, “Oh, I don’t remember hearing about that, I remember her sharing that she was born in an elevator!”

No…she was NOT born in an elevator!

 

And here is a good example of why not to tell your kids things

May 21st, 2011

Third grade is when our public school system decided it was the right time to start teaching the kids about sex education.  They learned about male and female “parts”, the sperm and the egg and when those two things mix up together that they make a baby.  They watched a baby being born and then wrapped up the experience with sharing and question time.

PJ came home, the day of SEX EDUCATION CLASS, and asked me all sorts of questions about how I felt when she was born, if it hurt, did I cry, was she cute, all those things.  Then she went on to tell me she shared a family story with the class.  She said, “I told them that I had a baby brother that died (oh how she loves the dramatic).  He was still in your belly when he died and you named him Paddle Boy.”

A sort of audible cough/laugh/choking sound came out of my mouth as I said, “Really?  You shared that?”   She replied with a, “Yup and Mal shared that her dad passed out when she was being born.”

It is at this point you might be wondering if Paddle Boy was real. Did we really have a child that died? Did we really name the child Paddle Boy?

Answer:  yes, kind of.

The story of Paddle Boy.

I was pregnant for the first time back in 99.   We were so excited because it seemed to take an awfully long time to get this deal going. There was lots of temperature taking and charting and trying to figure out when I was ovulating and lots of sex…yeah baby, lots of it.

We found out I was pregnant and couldn’t have been happier.  I was seven weeks along.   With my first pregnancy, I was reading just about every damn book under the sun to know exactly what stage the fetus was in day by day.  At seven weeks of pregnancy their tiny little arms and legs are growing by leaps and bounds but they start out looking like buds and turn into paddles and then turn into fingers and toes.

Needless to say, I started to cramp and bleed and cry and think the world was coming to an end and ultimatly ended up in the ER filled with sick people while I was having a miscarrage.  There were so many people there.  It was the middle of winter and we were hosting a large family dinner at our house.  They were all there…Adam and I were not.   We had been waiting for HOURS  in the chairs. The pain was becoming so intense that I dragged my sweating cramping body over to the nurse to ask if I could go somewhere else, anywhere else, while we waited for a room.

They sat me in a dialysis chair right behind the triage nurse.  I could at least lay down.  I was wearing jean overalls, Adam was wearing an orange J Crew roll neck sweater.  One little tiny ball of his orange sweater sat on my belly.  I was crying at the pain and the loss and the possibility of it never working out.  Adam picked up the little orange ball, looked me in the eyes as he cocked his head to the side and said, “Hey honey, this would be the perfect size sweater for paddle boy.”

And in that moment that felt like the end of the world, we laughed and laughed and laughed, as the tears rolled down our cheeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet P turns 9

May 2nd, 2011

Who knew at 9 you would HATE pink?

Or want to wear your brother’s clothes.

Or play ball and skateboard.

Or speak Chinese.

Or be strong willed.

Or be so small, but so mighty.

Or be so funny and smart.

Or be such a wonderful little girl.

May this 9th year be filled with magic and wonder.

Oh how I love and admire you.

Mom

 

If I Were The President…

March 30th, 2011

I love the Chinese school conferences, there is always something funny that boils over from them.   This last conference, PJ had a creative writing assignment…yes, all in Chinese.

If I Were The President by PJ-age 8

If I were the President, but I don’t want to be the President, but if I had to be the President I would…

Tell people they should not litter.

I would go to China every week.

I would take care of the animals.

I would tell people you could keep a tiger for a pet.

I would be in my own movie.

I would want a robot to wait on me.

I would ride a lion.

I would play sports everyday.

 

 

 

I know this tells me something

October 20th, 2010

While waiting for the bus, CT (the 10 year old boy) was telling me about the book that he was reading.  I wished I had a pen and paper to write down his description, because it was really something.  It was something about butts taking over the world.  In fact, the title of the book is The Day My Butt Went Psycho.

The same day, PJ (the 8 year old girl) , who can’t read much English yet, came home from school very excited with a book from the library called Black-eyed Suzie.  She thought this book was about the flower, Black Eyed Susans.  Once I read the back and the first page it was clearly about a 12 year old girl who is struggling with a sever case of mental illness.

This is not the first time that these two are so diametrically opposed and it will not be the last.

Good lord, what do the teen-age years look like?

Lois Lane just showed up

September 27th, 2010

Did you know with the purchase of corrective eye wear, you also get copious amounts of free tude?

Ready, set, SCHOOL

August 30th, 2010

As for the start of school, we had mixed reviews.

KP was really nervous and did not want to go.  Until he got on the bus and saw his buddies, then he seemed to breath a bit easier.

PJ was the first kid up, did her chores and even made her own lunch with 30 minutes to spare, standing by the back door with her backpack on.

CT eased into the morning and was fully ready to embrace 5th grade.  I think it helps that his best friend Sam is in his class this year AND he got the teacher he wanted. I call that winning the 5th grade lottery.

Here is to the beginning of a GREAT school year!

Heavenly Angels

August 23rd, 2010

Only one week of summer left.

How can this be?